A New Twist on a Familiar Complaint: Toxic EMPLOYEES

Published

Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

We've all complained about toxic workplaces and toxic managers. Now that I've been a manager myself for a while, I realize there is a type of healthcare worker whom I never even knew existed when I was a floor nurse: the toxic employee.

This is the employee who:

1) Believes with all their heart that they are the ONLY COMPETENT WORKER IN THE FACILITY. That means everyone else---including you, their boss---is a blithering idiot.

2) Lets the rest of the staff know this as well, in no uncertain terms.

3) Knows everyone else's job only slightly better than they know their own, and proceeds to "diss" other workers while neglecting their own duties.

4) Goes right over your AND your boss's heads to the 'top dawg' every single time they disagree with anything you say or do.

5) Says one thing to you, then something completely different to the next person. And when you confront them about it, they immediately claim the other person is lying.

6) Tells you, "Oh, I LOVE working here, give me as many shifts as you can" and then whines to your boss that "she's making me work too many hours".:madface:

7) Says, "I would NEVER quit my job here, I love the residents too much" even as they're filling out applications (on company time) for other facilities.

8) Calls off an hour before the beginning of their shift, explaining that their spouse/child/babysitter/grandparent/dog is ill.........then you find out the next day they went to a basketball game.

9) Puts in their two-week notice, then calls off for the rest of their scheduled shifts.

10) Quits at a time when they know staffing is at its tightest. Yet when that blessed day arrives when they finally leave, staff morale goes through the roof, residents breathe a sigh of relief, and the administrators break out the non-alcoholic champagne and sing songs like "Ding-Dong, The Witch Is Dead" and "Thank God and Greyhound She's Gone".

:rolleyes:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Critical Care, Pediatrics, Geriatrics.
9) Puts in their two-week notice, then calls off for the rest of their scheduled shifts.

This is a violation of our company policy. If you put in your two weeks, then try and call out you are terminated and considered a no rehire.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med/Surge, ER.

Unfortunately, that's part of being a nurse manager. Don't take it personally. Those kind of things happen in every profession, and there's a

"bad seed" everywhere.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

"Says, "I would NEVER quit my job here, I love the residents too much" even as they're filling out applications"

But then, are we supposed to say or express some kind of desire to leave when we are considering about changing jobs?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

I WISH we had a policy like that one...........however, I have made it abundantly clear to my superiors that the employee in question will be considered rehireable only when Hell freezes over, or when I myself am no longer employed there, or when I am pushing up daisies---which ever comes first.:mad:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
10) Quits at a time when they know staffing is at its tightest. Yet when that blessed day arrives when they finally leave, staff morale goes through the roof, residents breathe a sigh of relief, and the administrators break out the non-alcoholic champagne and sing songs like "Ding-Dong, The Witch Is Dead" and "Thank God and Greyhound She's Gone".

:rolleyes:

My toxic coworker didn't quit, she was finally terminated. I was the one unlucky enough to work with her for 5 of my 6 shifts when I went out on maternity leave; when I was to back the schedule was changed so that I would be with her every shift. I was gone 3 months and as the time drew nearer I was actually dreading going back to work. My first day back I walked in and the doc was at the nurses' station. She said "C'mere, I got something to show you." She opened the scheduled and pointed to Toxic RN's name. My eyes got wide when I saw the line drawn through her schedule.

She'd been termed the day before!!!! "Thank God and Greyhound she's gone" indeed!!!!!! I swear we had a party that day!!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
This is a violation of our company policy. If you put in your two weeks, then try and call out you are terminated and considered a no rehire.

Actually I've known employers to allow staff (of good standing, of course!) to make their effective resignation date the day they would run out of sick time, then use up their sick time since it isn't reimbursed like PTO/vacation. In other words, if I put in my resignation tomorrow and I had, say, three weeks' worth of sick time, I could make the effective date three weeks from now and collect the sick time. I'm sure this is done quietly, but it is done.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Hospital, med-surg, hospice.

We have several of them, however they don't intend to quit he he

Up Vote Up Vote ×

while trying to do my charting one day, i had a supervisor once who totally badmouthed the other supervisor, she ended her tirade by telling me"if you repeat this to anyone , i will just deny i said it and your lying". pretty toxic, she ended up being fired for spreading more toxic waste in the administrative office, caught up with her. i firmly believe what goes around , comes around if you wait long enough. ive seen this happen several times in the last 27 years, feels great when it happens!!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Utilization Management.

i firmly believe what goes around , comes around if you wait long enough.

this is true. i've been in this business since i was 17 years old in one form or another, and i've seen it come around a few times.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

You know every person will display one of these traits on occasion. It becomes a problem when all or most of them turn up in same person. Unfortunately some of these people are really cunning and stay on a unit for a long time. They do it by kissing all the right butts. I have seen days when the only thing they did all day was play up to various managment persons that wandered though. It is quite nice to have a boss that is smart enough to catch on to them.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
she ended her tirade by telling me"if you repeat this to anyone , i will just deny i said it and your lying".

ingelin, did you work for the same manager??? i think this gal was telling me stuff to get my reaction. very savvy, cunning manager. i've seen her stab her supervisor in the back and smile about it.........a very dangerous person to work for, thank goodness i quit that job!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion